Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey said Thursday in Clarksville he may pursue legislation to require citizens over age 60 to have a photograph on their driver’s license — a big wrinkle in the debate over the state’s new voter ID law.

Ramsey, on the first leg of his “Red Tape Road Trips” tour designed to hear concerns about government regulations, said he doesn’t understand any justification for allowing those citizens to go without a photo on their driver’s license. He wants to study the history of how that came to be.

The law goes into effect Jan. 1 and would first come into play in the state’s presidential primary March 6.

The question came from a man who recently moved to Tennessee from Iowa who was unaware the state had a new voter ID law. In telling the new Tennessean about the law, Ramsey said he didn’t know until recently about the exemption for people 60 and over allowing them not to have a photo on their driver’s license.

There are 126,000 seniors in Tennessee who are over age 60 without photos on their driver’s licenses.

“I don’t see a policy reason for not doing that (having photos on licenses),” Ramsey said after the meeting. “I think that would solve the problem with voter ID. So, yes, we are looking back on that, at least to see what the policy was that did it and if there is reason not to do it.

“Maybe there is some logical reason why if you’re over age 60 you don’t have to have your picture on your driver’s license, but for the life of me I can’t figure it out.”

Ramsey said he assumes it would take legislation to change the policy.

“We’re looking into the history behind that and why it happened and why there’s over 100,000 citizens that don’t have it,” he said.

“When we began doing the research, I think there was an amendment to the bill that exempted them. So there would have to be an amendment to the statute to put them back in, too. I don’t know many senior citizens that would object to that, not the ones I know.”

Ramsey said he was surprised to learn about the exemption. It was unclear exactly when Ramsey was saying the exemption came to his attention, whether it was before or after the Legislature passed the photo ID bill.

“I don’t think that anybody really realized — I know I didn’t — that over age 60 you do not have to have your picture on a driver’s license. Now why shouldn’t you? Give me a policy reason why you shouldn’t. I can’t think of one,” he said.

When he answered the question from the former Iowan, Ramsey said, “One thing I discovered through this whole process — we didn’t know this and have done some research on it lately — if you’re a senior citizen, you’re not required to have a picture on your photo ID. I didn’t even know that. So what was the policy, the reason we did that? We’ve kind of traced it back.

“Those of us who are lifelong Tennesseans remember when you didn’t used to have a photo on your driver’s license. I think in 1988, we figured out, when the law went into effect, when you first got the plastic card you carry in your back pocket that’s got your picture on it. For some reason, some amendment got attached to the bill that exempted senior citizens. What’s the policy reason for that? So that needs to be changed, too.”

Ramsey said he received “several compliments” from people in the audience after the meeting about the new photo ID law.

Doug McCoy

So did he not get any sort of response? I too am interested in why seniors are not required to have their photos on their IDs. Is there anyone who knows?

Donna Locke

Ramsey, other leaders, and the bill sponsors have been told about this DL exemption for years. They have been told it is unwise and should be fixed in a voter or other law. Instead they amended bills to allow the exemption. This is not wise.

Donna Locke

Doug, if a senior 60 or older renews by mail (I don’t know about in person), the senior can save a couple of bucks and a trip by checking the no-photo option for the driver’s license. The senior may also opt for a renewed DL showing his or her previous photo.

I don’t know why the state allows this. If the state’s thinking is that seniors are too arthritic or whatever to go down to the DL station and should be saved the trouble, then maybe the applicants are not in condition to drive at all.

S England

Donna, it’s not only seniors who are allowed to use their previous photo when renewing their license. I just did that myself and am far from turning 60 yet.
I agree everyone should have a picture on their license – for voter verification among other reasons, and using the previous photo should probably be allowed only once for anyone of any age.